Sandbox Second Iteration—Artillery

It’s been just a few short weeks since we dropped the first “pack” of changes on the test server, and the Sandbox community began eagerly helping us put them through their paces. We’ve gathered enough feedback, and while teams around the studio are analyzing it, we’re inviting you to jump aboard the 2nd phase. In it, we’re testing comprehensive changes to artillery. Before we pull the curtain back on the details, let’s take a closer look at the state of things.

Current SPG mechanics disrupt the gaming experience. Occasional one-shots and poor accuracy make them little fun for both camps: those driving them and those fighting them. Designed to provide support for the team by crippling enemies and helping set the attack direction from afar, they often play as devastating lone wolves and tend to force draws and base camping.

As part of the 2nd testing phase, we limited the number of SPGs in a battle to no more than 3 per team and introduced a series of tweaks to artillery, all aimed at making them more team-oriented, more interesting to play with and less frustrating to play against.

Implemented the ability to reduce the stun effect and lift it completely with consumables, which are now multi-use.

Added stun indicators that should help both teams quickly assess the situation and adjust their battle plans accordingly.

Revised SPG ammo load, shell, and combat parameters:

No AP and HEAT shells for SPGs

Decreased penetration and alpha damage for HE shells, while also improving their accuracy, dispersion on the move, aiming and reload time.

Increased the blast radius and revised the damage falloff within it.

Introduced target area marking so that SPGs can show friendly vehicles where they are aiming.

Added alternative aim for SPGs to make arty gameplay more engaging and efficient.

Head to the Sandbox blog for a detailed breakdown on all changes, and the reasoning behind each revision:

This isn’t our first attempt to fix arty. Most of the changes on the list were first tested in last year’s Sandbox. What you’re getting now is a new iteration built on the lessons learnt, stats, and feedback that we gathered. Also, this time it’ll be a more focused test: arty is the only item on the 2nd phase’s agenda. So, there won’t be any other changes that could dilute the experience.

We hope this set of tweaks gets us a few steps closer to creating a truly fun, diverse experience for all vehicle classes, and are eager to hear your thoughts. Apply for the test and join the discussion on the Sandbox forum!